About Salix myrtilloides L.
Salix myrtilloides, commonly called swamp willow, is a willow species native to boglands found in cool temperate to subarctic regions of northeastern Europe and northern Asia. Its range extends from central Norway and Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean coast, with isolated populations growing further south in mountain bogs of the Alps, Carpathians, and Sikhote-Alin mountains. It is a small deciduous shrub that reaches a height of 15–60 cm (5.9–23.6 in). Its leaves are oval-acute, 15–20 mm long, with an entire or sparsely toothed margin; the upper leaf surface is dark green, while the lower surface is paler, glaucous, or purple-tinged. Its flowers form 1–2 cm long catkins, which are produced in spring at the same time that new leaves emerge. The leaves of this species are similar in shape to the leaves of bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), which gives rise to its name in Finnish and Swedish that translates to "bog bilberry willow". A very closely related, similar species called Salix pedicellaris (bog willow) grows in northern North America, and some botanists classify it as a variety of Salix myrtilloides: S. myrtilloides var. pedicellaris.
